Has anyone tried the medication leflunomide?

@dermnurse68, you may wish to see this past discussion where @lisabeans asks about leflunomide (Arava). @10071923 @lorinfc @gma12346 @kozlo52 @cyndyabq may also have experiences to share with you.

Have you started taking leflunomide yet?

Hello @dermnurse68, This is an older research paper from 2012 but hopefully it will provide some helpful information for you.

Efficacy and tolerability of leflunomide in difficult-to-treat polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis: a case series: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22897467/

Not yet
I am very afraid to start due to the horrible side effects
My CRP is 25 and I am still taking methotrexate!

Thank you
How would I be able to see the earlier discussions?

Thank you John

Here's the older discussion @colleenyoung was referencing --- Undiagnosed auto immune disease, put on Leflunomide: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/undiagnosed-auto-immune-disease/

oops, I forgot to add the link to the earlier discussion. Thanks @johnbishop for adding it.

Thank you again John

Hello. I was reading about the side effects of Leflunomide and it spooked me too. I know it takes a while to work its way into your system, and also takes a long time to work its way out - so if you have a bad reaction it could be a while before you get any relief.

I asked my doctor what she thought about me trying to control my inflammation with a change in diet. She was all for it., so I am trying to avoid dairy, sugar, and gluten from my diet, and adding more whole foods, gluten free foods, fresh fruit and veggies, grains such as bulgar and quinoa, etc. I limit my alcohol intake to one or two drinks a week.

I've been off the prednisone for almost 2 weeks, and my pain and discomfort on some days are horrible and other days not too bad. Advil helps, but I take as little as possible (one to two tablets a day when I take it). I know it will take a while to really start feeling the effects of a change in diet, and hopefully I won't get discouraged and revert back to my old eating habits (which weren't horrible, but weren't as healthy as they should have been).

So now I'm looking for any recommendations for an anti-inflammatory diet!!

Hi @lorinfc, You might want to look through the LCHF Living & Intermittent Fasting Group discussions for some suggestions to see what others are doing for better health - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/lchf-living-intermittent-fasting/

What got me off to a good start for eating healthier and more anti-inflammatory foods was reading about Dr Terry Wahls and how she was able to treat the progressive symptoms of her MS through nutrition - https://terrywahls.com/about/about-terry-wahls/

Here's a good start also - Polymyalgia Rheumatica Diet: Do's and Don'ts - Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/polymyalgia-rheumatica-diet